Creating a set of high-resolution vulnerability indicators to support the disaster management response to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa

Abstract

This chapter presents the "COVID-19 Vulnerability Dashboard" for South Africa, developed by the CSIR for the National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC). It maps vulnerability to COVID-19 for the whole of South Africa, down to the level of the 103 576 enumerator areas (EAs). The COVID-19 Vulnerability Dashboard aims at helping the NDMC, local authorities and other stakeholders with disaster risk reduction (DRR) and evidence based decision making. Several national government departments have used the Dashboard for planning support. South Africa has large populations around the country vulnerable to COVID-19 because of the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and employment, and the high levels of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis; high potential for rapid spread because of many dense informal settlements; and limited health resources. The COVID-19 Vulnerability Dashboard draws on our expertise in spatial analysis and disaster risk reduction of human settlements, and our tools, data and expertise including the Green Book, also developed in partnership with the NDMC, to deal with the likely impacts of climate change. Using a multi-criteria analysis approach, we created a set of vulnerability indicators based on domain knowledge, which was peer-reviewed by expert groups. These are disseminated by dynamic spatial mapping through an interactive, online dashboard.